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Email this4:44 pm
February 18, 2016
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From time to time I come across 'how to save money' advises. Mind you, that Nothing has to do with you guys and this topic.
And these advises are so common sense that I now firmly believe that people on this continent are certified morons.
Do you need advise to turn light when you are Not in the room? To shut off water while you brush your teeth?
Most recent and many times repeated saving 'discovery' is - start using cloth drier - the one you hang your clothes after washing them.
By the way, lets do some tally: How much KW you use per month? How much litres of water? You go first and then I will provide my numbers.
5:10 pm
October 21, 2016
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SavingIsGood said
By the way, lets do some tally: How much KW you use per month? How much litres of water? You go first and then I will provide my numbers.
I think it would be more appropriate to start a new thread in regards to KW and water consumption as it has little to do with the main topic of this thread. Start a new thread and I'll reply.
3:56 pm
May 13, 2017
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"fabafter50 said
I'm old school (probably cause I'm old, LOL) and have always saved from the time I was working part time. Growing up poor is a great incentive. Best tips I have come to live by.
Pay all debt asap. Debt before any "wants". Pay off credit cards, mortgages, max out your TFSA and your RRSP. Those are the big ones."
While we are taught that debt is bad, why not pay the mtg off and smith manouvre and invest. The stock market goes up and down in the short term but goes only up long term. Funds wrapped up in a house are only going up the amount the house goes up (great if you live in Toronto or Vancouver) Defer your property taxes and invest the funds. ( deferring only cost 0.7% in BC)
8:07 pm
April 7, 2017
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Awhile back I checked out VoIP home phone. I tried a company called VoIP.ms. This is not a packaged ready to go system. You have to program an ATA box and then you have to program on the VoIP.ms and once all matched....it works!! If you have difficulty they do help by email but it is not immediate and they have well documented set ups on Wikipedia.
After checking with the alarm company they say you can not use VoIP for monitoring.
A number is cheap to obtain you could use a dedicated number and a second line on the ATA.
I am just wondering if anyone here has figured out how to do. Or has figured out a different way to do by calling a cell phone or? and not call the monitoring station??
7:26 am
May 15, 2007
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Cranston said
Awhile back I checked out VoIP home phone. I tried a company called VoIP.ms. This is not a packaged ready to go system. You have to program an ATA box and then you have to program on the VoIP.ms and once all matched....it works!! If you have difficulty they do help by email but it is not immediate and they have well documented set ups on Wikipedia.After checking with the alarm company they say you can not use VoIP for monitoring.
A number is cheap to obtain you could use a dedicated number and a second line on the ATA.
I am just wondering if anyone here has figured out how to do. Or has figured out a different way to do by calling a cell phone or? and not call the monitoring station??
I love VoIP.ms for my home and business, although I don't experience trying to connect it to an alarm system. Depending on your alarm system, the issue might be around a lack of backup power and/or the need to use a traditional phone line to make the call out.
2:28 pm
November 26, 2008
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JustMe2016 said
2) If you have a basic membership at Costco, DON'T renew it when it expires. Wait just over three months before renewing it. The reason? If you renew your membership after it has expired but it makes less than three months, your renewal will be backdated to the original renewal date and you will therefore lose days, weeks or months of membership. But if you wait at least 3 months, your 12-month membership will start on your new renewal date. And therefore you are reducing the cost of your membership. I am assuming you are not addicted to Costco and are capable of living 3 months of your life without going to Costco...
With the membership cost increasing from $55 to $60 (+ tax) in a few months, it makes a lot of sense. You get more out of the cost of your membership.
So you are the kind of person who will steal money from corporations because it makes a lot of sense?
The day you become free is the day you work for fun.
2:53 pm
February 17, 2013
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Max said
So you are the kind of person who will steal money from corporations because it makes a lot of sense?
That is no more stealing than Costco is stealing from you for back charging a renewal fee for the privilege shopping there when you haven't been there for 3 months. In fact, I would say it's Costco that is doing the stealing. Thanx for the tip JM2016! If I'm in that situation , i will be sure to take advantage of it.
BTW...although I feel Costco is a superior employer, the overall corporate greed in the world is the cause of a plethora of modern day strife. Pollution, unemployment, sickness, debt, bankruptcy, poverty...you name it. The last thing I feel is sorry for Costco because I wasn't able to shop there for several months so my renewal date got bumped forward. Gimme a break.
3:24 pm
October 21, 2016
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Max said
So you are the kind of person who will steal money from corporations because it makes a lot of sense?
I would love to hear you explaining the logic behind what you wrote. I'm seriously waiting for your reply.
3:48 pm
October 21, 2016
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Rick said
That is no more stealing than Costco is stealing from you for back charging a renewal fee for the privilege shopping there when you haven't been there for 3 months. In fact, I would say it's Costco that is doing the stealing. Thanx for the tip JM2016! If I'm in that situation , i will be sure to take advantage of it.
You'r welcome 🙂
What I initially wrote was not just about the $5 increase, but the minimum 3 months "vacation" one will have. Humans are creature of habit and all businesses are exploiting that fact to the detriment of the consumers.
Just to mention a simple example. Phone/cable companies offer free trials of some products/options for a limited time, like say 3 months, because studies have repeatedly demonstrated that 90%+ of people will keep those options/products past the free trial period. They simply got used to it and now can't "live" without.
So this 3 months absence from Costco will provide one with an opportunity to "refresh" his/her shopping and thinking. Possibly discovering that what one purchases at Costco might be found elsewhere at cheaper price and/or in greater choice/diversity.
Businesses are competing between each other for your money and any legal tricks or tactics is fair game to them.
7:44 pm
October 21, 2013
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I have a compromise which works for me. I only renew when I'm at the till and have to do so. I never respond to the bills they send in the mail for renewals. There is no point in paying for what you're not using. Some years I shop there maybe once a month, but other years I might go for a few months without shopping there. My approach is passive, but, if you want to put some thought into it, stock up on non-perishables before your membership expires.
Something else that may be useful: You can sign up for the Executive membership; then, if you don't spend enough to justify it, you can get a refund on the upgrade cost at the end of the year. It means you have to waste time standing in line for the refund, but you might gain if you spend enough. Repeat the next year, etc.
9:32 am
February 18, 2016
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Do not shop at Costco, thank you very much. Do not like to pay membership for 'privilege' to buy oversized, unnecessary amount of food which comes from US; most stuff is for sure genetically modified or made by child labor.
As for membership - buy for a year; use it if you are so addicted to be overstuffed and then cancel few days before renewal. Then go and get another - new membership. Repeat...
2:08 pm
September 11, 2013
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Costco membership has been awesome investment for me. My wife and I are real buds, but I can't count the number of hours every year she spends there with friends and relatives and all the time that frees up for me! All to myself! As far as I can tell, it's pennies per hour, if that, never mind the 3% back we get on the gas there and meals out using their MasterCard (which pays for the next year's membership. and more). And the bonus is our monthly spending doesn't seem to be more than before she had the membership (about 5 years now), she's replaced a lot of grocery store expenses at Costco, seems to be. Gotta look at the whole picture!
2:54 pm
October 21, 2013
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Bill said
Costco membership has been awesome investment for me. My wife and I are real buds, but I can't count the number of hours every year she spends there with friends and relatives and all the time that frees up for me! All to myself! As far as I can tell, it's pennies per hour, if that, never mind the 3% back we get on the gas there and meals out using their MasterCard (which pays for the next year's membership. and more).
Actually, it's only 2% on gas, but I'm sure it feels more like 3% to you.
3:26 pm
September 11, 2013
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Loonie, you're right- and you're right again, it's still a great deal!
3:26 pm
October 21, 2013
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SavingIsGood said
Do not shop at Costco, thank you very much. Do not like to pay membership for 'privilege' to buy oversized, unnecessary amount of food which comes from US; most stuff is for sure genetically modified or made by child labor.
As for membership - buy for a year; use it if you are so addicted to be overstuffed and then cancel few days before renewal. Then go and get another - new membership. Repeat...
Each to their own, but I regard it as more of an overall calculation. It makes sense to me, financially, to buy some "oversized" items when the price is right TP for example. You can't count the number of sheets etc to know how good a deal it is, since they are inconsistent, but you can figure out how long a roll or a package lasts. Using that basis of comparison, I can't find a better deal anywhere for a product of comparable quality, even with sales and coupons.
This is comparable to refusing to use credit cards for which there is an annual fee. The fee may be worth it if the rebate rate is better than a no-fee card if you are putting enough purchases on the card. You may come out ahead. Same with Costco membership.
We have a fee-based card and a Costco membership. I review them annually to ensure that they are still a good deal for us.
There are additional benefits. Bill perceives a benefit in buying time alone. i see a benefit in finding merchandise that isn't available elsewhere. And you can easily save $1000 on hearing aids, should you need any - you get last year's model, but so what? This year's will be last year's soon enough, and they don't change very much in one year.
I don't know when you last shopped at Costco but I find they have a lot of Canadian products that I don't see elsewhere. They are also offering a lot more organic products than they used to. Some of these don't last (i.e. you won't see them next time you are there), but they are trying. If I go to the grocery store, I see basically the same products everywhere, and at a higher cost.
If you are aware of Costco products that are currently being made by child labourers, please share the details. and references.
Please write your comments in the forum.